Joint Statement Boycotting the 10th Round of Presidential Elections in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Elections and the governing rules and regulations to hold them are the pillars of democracy in a free society. These rules and regulations are from people and they are there to insure that elections reflect the true voice of the majority. Regulations on the subject of the right of becoming a candidate for an elected position, and the right of having a free and non-fraudulent oversight and process are from people themselves. In other words, candidates, rules, and oversight are all from people.

However, in the Islamic Republic of Iran, we have only a disturbed shadow of an election. Discriminatory laws, fraud, and poor oversight make a mockery of any election in Iran, especially that of presidential elections.

So far the fake presidential elections in Iran have been a tool to buy legitimacy among the international community, by showing off the voting people to international media, and the 2009 election is no exception. As always, all four candidates have not only passed through the ideological filter of the clergy, but also they have taken part in all of the killings, tortures, and violations of human rights across Iran.

Evaluating the resumes of all four candidates shows that they have always been against people and turned their back on them in the favour of the ruling clergy. They have been a part of terror against the opposition and other countries and also stealing people’s resources and livelihood. These are the common denominator of all four candidates.

Having said all that, the constitution of the Islamic Republic is not only the main obstacle in the way of having a democratic election, but also it is the main obstacle for a presumably legitimate elected president to act in the favour of the people.

In this constitution, all the real power is in the hands of the supreme leader (Ayatollah Khamenei). He has the power to overrule or even discharge the president should he decide to do so, and he does not need to answer anybody or even the people of Iran as he is the sitting representative of God on earth, as stated in the constitution. The leader is the commander in chief, secretary of state, and the highest religious figure all at once. On the other hand he has the power to impose his idea about even the most personal aspects of people’s lives like the way they dress or the way they eat. He even has the power to disassemble the parliament.

According to constitution, only men (not women), who are Shiite Muslim, and who believe in the divine and absolute power of the leader, have the right to become a candidate.

The actual power of a president is very marginal. During the two terms when the so called reformist government had the presidential seat and had the majority in the parliament, they were disallowed from passing any new laws even though they only differed slightly from the leader.

This list of predicaments can go on, but in short it can be said that under the current laws and constitution, presidential elections in Iran are nothing but a mockery of democracy, and serve no purpose but prolonging the life of this murderous regime.

Nations living in Iran, have a 30 year history of struggling for freedom, democracy, and human rights. They have come to understand that democracy and federalism is the way of the future in order to stop the additional oppression imposed on them. These are not achievable under the current regime’s backward ideology and its murderous institutions, like the Office of Supreme Leadership, president, revolutionary guard, and others who have brought nothing but misery to Kurdish people and other nationalities living in Iran.

We have experienced a rage against us from the day Ayatollah Khomeini, ordered a jihad against Kurds. It is a patriotic duty for all freedom loving people living in Iran and especially those of Kurdish people to not belittle themselves and settle for some false and fraudulent promises by any of the so called presidential candidates. We have come through a magnificent resistance against oppression. We know that under the current system and regime, our goals of freedom, human rights, self determination and democracy will not materialize. We will not be played with and will not be deceived by these games.

We want and deserve the right to hold free elections, to become candidates, to vote for our candidate of choice. The Islamic regime in Iran is struggling with all sort of crisis inside and outside of Iran, and they are as weak as they have ever been.

Voting in this election is helping this regime gaining legitimacy, when it needs it the most. We ask you all to join us in boycotting this election.